Look at the sentences below and answer which one is correct:
- He said he’d written an article which was going to be in the paper the following day.
- He said he’d written an article which is going to be in the paper tomorrow.
- He says he’s written an article which is going to be in the paper tomorrow.
The Explanation: Context is King
The difference between these three sentences is not about which one is “grammatically correct” (they all are!), but rather when the speaker is talking and whether the event is still in the future.
He said he’d written an article which was going to be in the paper the following day.
The Rule: Standard Past Reporting (Full Backshifting).
- The Context: The conversation happened in the past, and we are shifting all the tenses and time words back into the past. “Tomorrow” becomes “the following day.”
- When to use it: You are telling a story about something that happened a while ago. The article has likely already been published by now.
He said he’d written an article which is going to be in the paper tomorrow.
The Rule: Past Reporting, but the news is still fresh (Partial Backshifting).
- The Context: The reporting verb is in the past (said), but we don’t change the second half of the sentence (is going to be… tomorrow) because the event is still in the future right now.
- When to use it: He told you this yesterday or earlier today, but the article is literally coming out tomorrow.
He says he’s written an article which is going to be in the paper tomorrow.
The Rule: Present Reporting (No Backshifting).
- The Context: The reporting verb is in the present (says). Because he is telling you this right now (or it’s a general, ongoing fact), you do not change the tenses or the time words.
- When to use it: You are relaying information he is sharing at this very moment.
Practice 1
In the card below, you’ve got a clear, concise explanation, 3 practical exercises, and the key. Click each button one by one and do the tasks.
Practice 2
This time, you need to transform direct speech into reported and vice versa. Pay attention to the context given as it highlights important changes in meaning. For more efficiency, first write the sentences yourself, and only after that click the “Show answer” button.
Reported speech: mind the nuances
Tense backshift in reported speech depends on the situation: how much time has passed since the original words were spoken, and whether the reported fact is still true or still future. Read the context for each sentence carefully before you answer.
Exercise 1: Direct → Reported
Exercise 2: Reported → Direct
1
Context: A week later, retelling what her boss said in a meeting last Monday.
Direct speech: “I am moving to the Berlin office next month.”
She said (that) she was moving to the Berlin office the following month. / She said (that) she is moving to the Berlin office next month.
Comment: with a past reporting verb (said), backshift is the default simply because you’re reporting from a later point in time – it is not caused by the move being unresolved. But because the plan is still valid and still in the future from today’s point of view, backshift here is optional: you may keep “is moving / next month” to stress it’s still current, or backshift to “was moving / the following month” for more neutral, distanced narration.
2
Context: Right after the phone call ends, telling a colleague sitting next to you what the client just said (call still relevant now).
Direct speech: “We haven’t received the invoice yet.”
He says (that) they haven’t received the invoice yet.
Comment: reporting immediately with a present reporting verb (says) — no backshift needed, the situation is still current, so the tense and “yet” stay exactly as spoken.
3
Context: Months later, recalling an old conversation with a friend before her wedding.
Direct speech: “I’ll wear my grandmother’s necklace at the ceremony tomorrow.”
She said (that) she would wear her grandmother’s necklace at the ceremony the next day.
Comment: distant reporting of a completed event — will → would, and tomorrow → the next day, because both the ceremony and the statement now belong entirely to the past.
4
Context: This morning your flatmate told you something that is still true right now, and you’re reporting it to another flatmate an hour later, same day.
Direct speech: “The heating isn’t working.”
He said (that) the heating isn’t working. / He said the heating wasn’t working.
Comment: because the fact is still true when you report it, backshift is optional here — native speakers often keep the present tense to stress current relevance, though the backshifted form is also correct.
5
Context: A year later, describing a promise a friend made that never came true.
Direct speech: “I will pay you back next week.”
He said (that) he would pay me back the following week.
Comment: fully distanced report of a broken promise — full backshift of both the modal (will → would) and the time expression (next week → the following week).
6
Context: Five minutes ago, in the same conversation, passing on what a mutual friend just texted about tonight’s plans.
Direct speech: “I can’t come to the party tonight.”
She says (that) she can’t come to the party tonight. / She said (that) she can’t / couldn’t come to the party tonight.
Comment: the reporting verb itself can be present (says) or past (said) here — both are natural just minutes after the text arrived. What actually decides the backshift of “can’t” is not the reporting verb’s tense but whether the situation is still current: since it’s still the same “tonight”, backshift stays optional even with “said” — “can’t” is fine, and “couldn’t” is also fine as a more distanced version. “Tonight” stays “tonight” either way, since the day hasn’t changed.
7
Context: Long after the event, an old classmate is recalling something said at a graduation ceremony years ago about the future.
Direct speech: “I am going to travel around the world after this.”
She said (that) she was going to travel around the world after that.
Comment: distant memory of a past event — am going to → was going to, and this → that, since the speaker is no longer in that original moment or place.
1
Context: A present-tense reporting verb, and the time word stayed as “tomorrow”.
Reported speech: He says he is presenting the new project tomorrow.
“I am presenting the new project tomorrow.”
Comment: says signals an immediate report of a still-future plan, so nothing was backshifted — restore the present continuous and “tomorrow” exactly.
2
Context: A past reporting verb, backshifted modal, and the time phrase became “the following day” — clearly a distant retelling of a now-past event.
Reported speech: She said she would call the doctor the following day.
“I will call the doctor tomorrow.”
Comment: would + “the following day” is the backshifted, distanced form, so the direct original must have used will + “tomorrow”.
3
Context: A past reporting verb, but the time word “tonight” was kept unchanged — the reported plan is still valid relative to now.
Reported speech: He told me he was finishing the report tonight.
“I am finishing the report tonight.”
Comment: even though “told” is past, keeping “tonight” shows the plan is still current — so only the verb was backshifted for the reporting frame, and the direct version returns to the present continuous.
4
Context: A past reporting verb, full backshift, and “the day before” instead of “yesterday” — a distant recollection.
Reported speech: They said they had missed the train the day before.
“We missed the train yesterday.”
Comment: had missed (past perfect) plus “the day before” signals full backshift from a simple past original spoken with “yesterday”.
5
Context: A present reporting verb, and the fact is still unresolved right now.
Reported speech: She says she hasn’t decided where to study yet.
“I haven’t decided where to study yet.”
Comment: present reporting verb (says) means the words are quoted essentially unchanged — no backshift applies.
6
Context: A past reporting verb, backshifted tense, but “next year” was NOT changed — showing the plan is still ahead of us from today’s perspective.
Reported speech: He said he was going to apply for the scholarship next year.
“I am going to apply for the scholarship next year.”
Comment: “next year” unchanged tells us the plan is still valid, so only the verb form follows the reporting-verb backshift; time expressions only shift when the original time reference has itself become past.
7
Context: A past reporting verb, past perfect, and “that morning” replacing a same-day reference — a same-day report given later that evening.
Reported speech: She mentioned she had already spoken to the manager that morning.
“I have already spoken to the manager this morning.”
Comment: had spoken + “that morning” is the backshifted form of have spoken + “this morning” — the original event was earlier the same day as the original statement, then reported later.
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